Waiting It Out

I'm writing a quick blurb just to let readers know I'm still alive. My motorcycle blog has been very quiet the last couple months because, frankly, I've had very little to write about on that subject. My bike sits, thankfully, in a garage while we endure one snowstorm after another. Already we've had at least three major storms with 10-12" inches of snow, and a few moderate storms of 4-6", and it's only the beginning of February. There has been at least one storm every week the past several weeks, and kids have missed several school days. We're running out of places to pile the snow. It seems like some snow mounds are so high that they will linger on until May (well, I hope not).

There is one positive thing I can say about all this snow, however: I did learn how to operate a snow plow and tractor with a front loader. That was about the closest thing to 'fun' I've had with snow as an adult, since I don't ski, ice fish or ice skate.

Due to circumstances, I can't work on my bike over the winter, so all I can do is patiently wait until spring and occupy my mind with other things. Usually, I'm not much of a big reader of fiction, but I'm reading an excellent book, "Patriots," that is helping the time pass.

Most importantly, though, a relationship with Jesus Christ and frequent prayer is the best antidote for my winter blues, I've found.

Caught By Surprise

Sad as it is, for all intents and purposes, the group riding season is over. There are still a few individual riders here and there, holding out as long as they can, as morning temperatures have dipped into the 30s the past couple weeks.

For the most part, I've been fairly busy with work over the past several weeks, so I did not log much riding time as the riding season dwindled. My riding was mostly limited to once a week, usually on a Sunday. The last time I rode was Oct. 31, and that was about as late into the season as Anna could stand (at least without a full-face helmet); her lips and face were chapped. She's done for the year as far as riding is concerned, but I wasn't ready to call it quits yet.

This week, I had no work planned, so my goal was to get some riding in on one or two weekdays, and change the oil on my bike before I put it up for the winter. But this morning, I was caught by surprise when I looked outside and saw snow on the ground! Argh!! It's probably occurred at some time within my lifetime, but I'll be darned if I can remember it snowing this early in November. Anna says it's the start of what she believes will be a long, difficult winter .... sort of Mother Nature's payback for a near-perfect summer. Only one or two rides were rained out, and it never got excessively hot.

It's only an inch or two of slushy snow, so it will likely be gone in a day or two; I'm more concerned about the possibility of salt on the roads, although temperatures are not expected to be below freezing. In any case, I'll be keeping a watchful eye for the telltale white residue. If crews did not put sand or salt on the roads, I may still have hope of riding this week, since the forecast calls for sun with mid-50s temperatures by Thursday and Friday. If they did apply salt, though, I would have to wait for a good rainfall to wash the salt off the road. The end results of salt on chrome ain't pretty ....

PMS?

No, it's not what you think ... I'm talking about Parked Motorcycle Syndrome. It's something I'm becoming well acquainted with this winter, my first full winter since I began riding motorcycles.

When I bought my first bike, the Yamaha Virago (the red bike on the left), in late February of 2009, the winter was winding down, so by the time I had it registered in early March, the roads were clear of snow and salt and I was able to ride. I was so excited to have a bike that the cold did not stop me from riding as often as I could. Since I didn't start out as a "fair-weather" rider, I rode late into the year, until about mid-December, when the first snow arrived. But for the most part, that was when I hung up my helmet for the season.

Then, in January 2010 (last month), I bought my second bike and first Harley, a 2002 Dyna Wide Glide, and have only ridden it one time, when winter took a very brief reprieve and rain washed the salt off the roads. Then winter returned with a vengeance (on Wednesday, as I started typing this post, we've had about six inches of snow, which you can see in the photo below, a view outside my window). If it seemed like spring took forever to arrive in the past, I'm sure it will take even longer, now that I have a Harley parked in my garage.

"A tough time to buy a bike (is) in the middle of winter," says 'dog155,' a rider from Maine, on hdforums.com. "I did just once - the biggest mistake I ever made, because the urge to ride was agonizing."

Of course, riders who live in California, Florida and Arizona don't have to deal with winter, and sometimes they like to rub it in, while those of us who live in colder climates wish for global warming.

Some cold-climate riders minimize off-season motorcycle withdrawal by doing maintenance and upgrades on their bikes (a heated garage or basement is a big luxury - mine is unheated, but I'm thankful to at least have a garage), or browsing accessory catalogs to plan their next upgrades. Then there are the big motorcycle expos (I'm looking forward to one in Boston on Saturday), although they probably make it even harder to wait for spring. One rider on an online Harley forum had some practical advice: he uses the winter months to do most of his home improvement projects, so he can focus more on riding when the weather is nice. Yes, now's the time for those 'honey-do' lists.

Of course, Daytona Bike Week is just around the corner, and those riders with the time and money can trailer their bikes to Florida to enjoy some early warm weather riding, but I'm not one of those fortunate ones this year. I had an invite, but I had to decline it - buying my Wide Glide wiped out most of my finances. Maybe next year I'll get to go and get an early reprieve from PMS.

My Wide Glide could use a few upgrades (although a rear tire with low tread and an oil change aren't upgrades, but necessities) but that will have to wait another month or two while I save up. Meanwhile, I will do what most riders do - just wait it out (and grumble occasionally). I will say one positive thing about cold and snow - it makes me appreciate the warm, sunny days.